Health and Human Rights Flashcards
What does education provide?
- The ability to get a job
- Social skills
- Sense of community
- Hygiene and sanitation
- Knowing your rights
Why is education a necessity to develop?
- The need for basic hygiene and healthcare
- Ways to control family size (better manage resources so that education, etc. is available to all)
- How to be involved in decision making (to be able to represent a group/population and advocate change)
- Their rights in the 21st century (fight against discrimination and champion for further development and equality)
Why is basic hygiene and healthcare important?
- To ensure good health within a population
- More likely to work and contribute to economy and society
Education facts:
- In 2013, 59million children did not go to primary school
- In 2013, 65million did not go to secondary school
- In 2015, 69% of countries had equal access to primary education
- In 2015, 48% of countries had equal access to secondary education
- In the Sahel, girls are twice as likely to not attend school than boys
Reasons for variations in health and life expectancy in the developing world:
- Food (1 in 9 do not have access to food)
- Sanitation and hygiene
- Clean water
- Infant mortality/ maternal mortality
- Differences in deprivation (access to free healthcare, housing)
- Cost and effectiveness of healthcare
Reasons for variations in health and life expectancy in the developed world:
- Differences in lifestyle (diet/obesity/smoking)
- Differences in deprivation
- Cost and effectiveness of healthcare
What is the healthcare system and life expectancy in the UK vs US?
USA:
Private healthcare, 78.1
UK:
Public healthcare, 81.6
What are human rights?
Fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled, simply because they are a human being
What should human rights be?
- Applicable everywhere
- Egalitarian (equal)
What is the Universal Declaration of Human Rights?
- Established in 1948
- Contains 30 articles, which form the basis of our human rights
- It was formed in response to atrocities in Nazi Germany
- 48 countries were in favour of the declaration
What are the advantages of the UDHR?
- By implication, all 193 countries have to recognise it as legislation
- Clear to understand
- Sets the ‘standard’
What are the disadvantages of the UDHR?
- Not legally binding
- Some countries believe it is ‘too westernised’ and have not signed it
What are some example of rights on the UDHR?
Article 1: All human beings are born free and equal in both dignity and rights
Article 4: No one shall be held in slavery or servitude
Article 18: Everyone has the right to freedom of thought and religion
Article 5: No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment
What is the European Convention of Human Rights?
- Convention comprises a number of articles, each setting out a specific human right
- Aim is to achieve a greater unity and a realisation of human rights and fundamental freedoms
- The European Court of Human Rights was set up in 1959 to ensure countries adhere to the ECHR
- It is legally binding
- High proportion of cases awaiting trial means many people do not have their cases seen to (medical dilemmas)
- Some believe the court is a loss of sovereignty
What is the Geneva Convention?
- Series of international diplomatic meetings took place to produce a number of agreements in warfare
- Article 3 prevents torture and hostage taking
- Protects people not taking part in conflict as well, including civilians and prisoners of war
- Ratified by 196 countries and is legally binding
Why is the Geneva convention especially important?
Most atrocities occur during war time and human rights are most vulnerable here compared to peace-time
What are the downfalls of the Geneva convention?
- Country abiding may have an unfair disadvantage (unfair war)
- Lots of countries have broken it historically (82% of countries- America, Guantanamo Bay)
- Not all countries agreed to all protocols
What factors can cause variations in human rights?
- Governance (plays into religion)
- Conflict
Human Right violations in China:
- 1million Uyghur Muslims dead or missing
- In March 2020, the UN expressed concerns for a human rights lawyer who has been subject to ‘enforced disappearance’
- Tiananmen Square massacre 1989, 3000 troops mobilised and several thousand killed
- In August 2020, Shanghai Pride announced that all future activities had been cancelled
- Extreme censorship
Human rights successes in China:
- Lifted one child policy in July 2021
- Are beginning to take cases to court
- Signed up to 6 of 9 core human rights treaties
Human rights successes in the UK:
- Created 1998 Human Rights Act
- Laws support Human Rights
- Have ‘protected classes’ in the 2010 equality act
- People able to seek justice in court
Human right failures in the UK:
- Minority group still often disadvantaged
- Large wealth gap
- Women still paid less than men
- Gay conversion therapy still hasn’t been banned
- Legislation introduced making it harder for young transgender people to transition
How does high corruption threaten human rights?
- Corruption reduces level of trust
- Systems become unfair and support groups with power, or even prosecute the poor and other disadvantaged groups
- May affect economic system through favouritism of businesses and may also work against health and safety laws
Systems against corruption:
- Corruption summit held in 2016 in London
- UN convention against corruption established in 2003
- Meeting decided that corruption should be exposed, the corruptors punished and the victims supported
- Recognised that corruption was at the heart of many world issues